Poem: "The Waters of the Beginning and the End"
This poem is spillover from the November 2, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
siliconshaman. It also fills the "Jealousy" square in my 11-1-21 card for the NCIS Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, ng_moonmoth, janetmiles, and edorfaus. It belongs to the Aquariana and Finn Family: Independent Steps threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"The Waters of the Beginning and the End"
[Monday, June 27, 2016]
Aida floated in the warm water
just off the shore of Finn Skerry.
Drew was right, she needed
to swim more. Her stress over
the petty irritations melted away
once she got in the water.
There were plenty of
irritations to wash off.
Hoping to meet some
of her future classmates
and make new friends, Aida
had joined the diving club at
the Maldives National University.
She had gotten to know several
of the girls and a couple of the guys.
Artur Cahill was a fan of watersports
who wanted to teach them at a resort as
a way of raising environmental awareness.
Wesley Sheppard was a fellow nerd,
a bookworm into marine biology who
wanted to go into conservation work.
This was all well and good, so Aida
had gone out for coffee -- just coffee! --
with each of them, making it clear that
she wanted more friends but wasn't
looking for romance at the time.
Then the boys had gotten
into an argument over her.
Aida hadn't been expecting
the sudden spate of jealousy
from two seemingly sensible guys
who had been told not to look
for more than casual company.
Apparently they hadn't been
as interested in friendship as
she had thought -- or at least,
they saw it as a stepping stone
to something more instead of
a treasure for its own sake.
Grumbling, Aida rolled over in
the water and swam farther out,
where it began to cool a little.
?? Moderato's mental touch
rolled over her. The whales had
taken to watching her whenever
she went into the water alone.
"I'm fine," Aida said. "It's just
some boys being bothersome."
The two whales surfaced, spouting,
out where the water deepened.
Several more spouts joined them.
Whales in the ocean, suspended
in the waves of the sea, made
a great heaven of whales in
the waters that hinted at
ancient hierarchies.
Enormous mother whales
lay drowsing, suckling
their tender young and
dreaming with their eyes
wide open in the waters of
the beginning and the end.
The Maldives was becoming
quite popular with the whales.
Boys, Steel sent, his mental voice
sharpening. Do I need to deal with them?
"No!" Aida said. "I don't need you
to come thump them for me."
They have upset you,
Steel rumbled, unhappy.
That is not a good thing.
"They haven't done anything
criminal, just silly," Aida said firmly.
"They got into an argument over me,
when I don't belong to either of them."
Could you not court them both?
Moderato wondered. Whales are
not as rigid about mating as humans.
"Sure I could, but I don't want to,"
Aida said. "I'm not courting anyone
right now. I need to focus on building
a house and going to college. After I
graduate, then I'll think about whether
I want to look for some sort of romance."
Moderato sent a rippling montage of
cetacean romance and family life, from
the courtship of individual couples to
how a whole pod lived together.
Following that, and Aida's grasp
of it, Steel mused, You are just
play-courting, and they did not
realize that, so they mistook it for
mate-courting and started sparring.
"Yes, exactly," said Aida. "I thought
I was clear enough, but I guess not."
Steel snorted. Some bulls think
everything is a mating signal.
"Well, that's one thing we have
in common across our species,"
Aida said. "Male foolishness."
Moderato's chuckle dimpled
the water. All young ones
are foolish sometimes.
"True," Aida said. "Could
you show Molly what you
showed me, though? I
think she'd like it. She
has several mates, and
they're expecting a baby."
Baby? Steel was suddenly
beside her, rolling to gaze up
at her with one unblinking eye,
not disturbing the water at all.
"Yeah, Danys has a cousin
with a surprise pregnancy, so
she's passing the baby to him
and his mates," Aida explained.
A male cousin instead of a female?
Steel said, startled. How unusual.
"Males can be just as involved in
parenting as they wish," said Aida.
"It's really not weird. You're not weird."
Steel was attached to Shale like
a barnacle to a boat, but he was still
self-conscious about it sometimes.
"Why don't we invite them out here
some time after the baby comes?"
Aida suggested. "You can tell them
stories about whale romance and
families, and meet the little one."
That is a good plan, said Moderato.
"Thanks. I'll send them a message
after I get out of the water," Aida said.
Later, said Steel, offering her a vast fin.
First, come and swim with us a while.
So Aida caught the edge of his fin
and let him tow her through the water,
more exhilarating than waterskiing ever was.
This was what the Maldives had become for
her, the waters of the beginning and the end.
This place marked the end of her old life
and the beginning of her new life, and she
was excited about that, silliness notwithstanding.
With a lazy flick, Steel launched her into the air,
and for a breathless moment she was flying
before she came down in a perfect dive.
* * *
Notes:
Artur Cahill -- He has ruddy skin, blue eyes, and short wavy hair of dark blond. He is trim and muscular. His heritage is American. He speaks English and French. He is struggling to learn Dhivehi. He is heterosexual. He is 18 years old in 2016. Artur is scheduled to begin studies at the Maldives National University in fall. Currently he belongs to the university's diving club. He wants to lead watersports at a resort, using that to raise environmental awareness. His teamwork skills make it easy for him to gain cooperation. Artur tends to think with his dick, though, which sometimes causes him to misread signals when interacting with women.
Qualities: Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Strength, Good (+2) Teamwork, Good (+2) Watersports
Poor (-2) Thinks With His Dick
Wesley Sheppard -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short brown hair. He is slim and wiry. His heritage is American. He speaks English and Spanish. He is already learning Arabic and Dhivehi with good results. He is bisexual. He is 18 years old in 2016. Wesley is scheduled to begin studies at the Maldives National University in fall. Currently he belongs to the university's diving club. He wants to work in ocean conservation. An avid bookworm, he easily makes friends with other nerds. His poor listening skills sometimes make it hard to maintain friendships, though.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bookworm, Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Marine Biology, Good (+2) Nerd Friends
Poor (-2) Bad Listener
* * *
"Whales in mid-ocean, suspended in the waves of the sea great heaven of whales in the waters, old hierarchies. And enormous mother whales lie dreaming suckling their whale-tender young and dreaming with strange whale eyes wide open in the waters of the beginning and the end."
-- D. H. Lawrence
The surprise baby first appears in "The Things We Never Saw Coming."
siliconshaman. It also fills the "Jealousy" square in my 11-1-21 card for the NCIS Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, ng_moonmoth, janetmiles, and edorfaus. It belongs to the Aquariana and Finn Family: Independent Steps threads of the Polychrome Heroics series."The Waters of the Beginning and the End"
[Monday, June 27, 2016]
Aida floated in the warm water
just off the shore of Finn Skerry.
Drew was right, she needed
to swim more. Her stress over
the petty irritations melted away
once she got in the water.
There were plenty of
irritations to wash off.
Hoping to meet some
of her future classmates
and make new friends, Aida
had joined the diving club at
the Maldives National University.
She had gotten to know several
of the girls and a couple of the guys.
Artur Cahill was a fan of watersports
who wanted to teach them at a resort as
a way of raising environmental awareness.
Wesley Sheppard was a fellow nerd,
a bookworm into marine biology who
wanted to go into conservation work.
This was all well and good, so Aida
had gone out for coffee -- just coffee! --
with each of them, making it clear that
she wanted more friends but wasn't
looking for romance at the time.
Then the boys had gotten
into an argument over her.
Aida hadn't been expecting
the sudden spate of jealousy
from two seemingly sensible guys
who had been told not to look
for more than casual company.
Apparently they hadn't been
as interested in friendship as
she had thought -- or at least,
they saw it as a stepping stone
to something more instead of
a treasure for its own sake.
Grumbling, Aida rolled over in
the water and swam farther out,
where it began to cool a little.
?? Moderato's mental touch
rolled over her. The whales had
taken to watching her whenever
she went into the water alone.
"I'm fine," Aida said. "It's just
some boys being bothersome."
The two whales surfaced, spouting,
out where the water deepened.
Several more spouts joined them.
Whales in the ocean, suspended
in the waves of the sea, made
a great heaven of whales in
the waters that hinted at
ancient hierarchies.
Enormous mother whales
lay drowsing, suckling
their tender young and
dreaming with their eyes
wide open in the waters of
the beginning and the end.
The Maldives was becoming
quite popular with the whales.
Boys, Steel sent, his mental voice
sharpening. Do I need to deal with them?
"No!" Aida said. "I don't need you
to come thump them for me."
They have upset you,
Steel rumbled, unhappy.
That is not a good thing.
"They haven't done anything
criminal, just silly," Aida said firmly.
"They got into an argument over me,
when I don't belong to either of them."
Could you not court them both?
Moderato wondered. Whales are
not as rigid about mating as humans.
"Sure I could, but I don't want to,"
Aida said. "I'm not courting anyone
right now. I need to focus on building
a house and going to college. After I
graduate, then I'll think about whether
I want to look for some sort of romance."
Moderato sent a rippling montage of
cetacean romance and family life, from
the courtship of individual couples to
how a whole pod lived together.
Following that, and Aida's grasp
of it, Steel mused, You are just
play-courting, and they did not
realize that, so they mistook it for
mate-courting and started sparring.
"Yes, exactly," said Aida. "I thought
I was clear enough, but I guess not."
Steel snorted. Some bulls think
everything is a mating signal.
"Well, that's one thing we have
in common across our species,"
Aida said. "Male foolishness."
Moderato's chuckle dimpled
the water. All young ones
are foolish sometimes.
"True," Aida said. "Could
you show Molly what you
showed me, though? I
think she'd like it. She
has several mates, and
they're expecting a baby."
Baby? Steel was suddenly
beside her, rolling to gaze up
at her with one unblinking eye,
not disturbing the water at all.
"Yeah, Danys has a cousin
with a surprise pregnancy, so
she's passing the baby to him
and his mates," Aida explained.
A male cousin instead of a female?
Steel said, startled. How unusual.
"Males can be just as involved in
parenting as they wish," said Aida.
"It's really not weird. You're not weird."
Steel was attached to Shale like
a barnacle to a boat, but he was still
self-conscious about it sometimes.
"Why don't we invite them out here
some time after the baby comes?"
Aida suggested. "You can tell them
stories about whale romance and
families, and meet the little one."
That is a good plan, said Moderato.
"Thanks. I'll send them a message
after I get out of the water," Aida said.
Later, said Steel, offering her a vast fin.
First, come and swim with us a while.
So Aida caught the edge of his fin
and let him tow her through the water,
more exhilarating than waterskiing ever was.
This was what the Maldives had become for
her, the waters of the beginning and the end.
This place marked the end of her old life
and the beginning of her new life, and she
was excited about that, silliness notwithstanding.
With a lazy flick, Steel launched her into the air,
and for a breathless moment she was flying
before she came down in a perfect dive.
* * *
Notes:
Artur Cahill -- He has ruddy skin, blue eyes, and short wavy hair of dark blond. He is trim and muscular. His heritage is American. He speaks English and French. He is struggling to learn Dhivehi. He is heterosexual. He is 18 years old in 2016. Artur is scheduled to begin studies at the Maldives National University in fall. Currently he belongs to the university's diving club. He wants to lead watersports at a resort, using that to raise environmental awareness. His teamwork skills make it easy for him to gain cooperation. Artur tends to think with his dick, though, which sometimes causes him to misread signals when interacting with women.
Qualities: Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Strength, Good (+2) Teamwork, Good (+2) Watersports
Poor (-2) Thinks With His Dick
Wesley Sheppard -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short brown hair. He is slim and wiry. His heritage is American. He speaks English and Spanish. He is already learning Arabic and Dhivehi with good results. He is bisexual. He is 18 years old in 2016. Wesley is scheduled to begin studies at the Maldives National University in fall. Currently he belongs to the university's diving club. He wants to work in ocean conservation. An avid bookworm, he easily makes friends with other nerds. His poor listening skills sometimes make it hard to maintain friendships, though.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bookworm, Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Marine Biology, Good (+2) Nerd Friends
Poor (-2) Bad Listener
* * *
"Whales in mid-ocean, suspended in the waves of the sea great heaven of whales in the waters, old hierarchies. And enormous mother whales lie dreaming suckling their whale-tender young and dreaming with strange whale eyes wide open in the waters of the beginning and the end."
-- D. H. Lawrence
The surprise baby first appears in "The Things We Never Saw Coming."